Lantern



Aug, 30, 193%. R. A. CURRIE LANTERN Filed April 28, 1957 M, @m/rm ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 30, 1938 UNITED STATES 2,128,767 LANTERN Robert A. Currie, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to R. E. Dietz Company, New York, N. Y.

Application April 28, 1937, Serial No. 139,579

7 Claims.

This invention relates more particularly to improvements in the pivotal connections for the carrying bails or handles of tubular lanterns.

The usual tubular lantern is made with upright frame or air tubes at opposite sides of the lantern through which air for combustion is supplied to the lantern burner, and as commonly constructed, these air tubes have inbent or inwardly extending upper portions connected to a shell or part at the top of the lantern frame and inbent or inwardly extending lower portions connected with an air chamber wall or part at the lower portion of the lantern frame. Ordinarily, the handles or wire bails for carrying the lanterns are pivotally connected to the upper por-i' tions of the air tubes by hooking the bent or hooked lower ends of the legs of the bail into holes in the outer side wallportions of the air tubes. The balls are commonly made of relatively stiff or spring wire, and their pivot hooks are so shaped as to normally prevent accidental or unintentional disengagement of the ends of the bail from the pivot holes. However, the bails frequently become deformed or bent out of their original shape in the handling and use of the lanterns, particularly if the bail wire is relatively soft or pliable, or the pivot holes in the walls of the tubes become enlarged by wear, with resulting inconvenience or damage to the lanterns, or their loss. In the use of such lanterns on motor trucks, on the rear end or other portion of which they may be hung by their bails, breakageand loss of the lanterns, because of the bails becoming detached, due to vibrations of the moving trucks, are so frequent as to be a serious loss or objection.

One object of my invention is to provide a pivotal connection for the bails or handles of tubular lanterns which will reliably prevent unintentional disconnection of the bail from the lantern.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an improved pivotal connection for the bails or handles of tubular lanterns, which is of simple and inexpensive but strong and durable construc- Fig. l is a front elevation of a tubular lantern of one construction embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the upper portion of one of the air tubes showing the pivotal connection for the bail.

Fig. 3 is, a sectional plan through the air tube on line 3--3, Fig. 2.

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary sectional elevations respectively on lines 4-4 and 5--5, Fig. 2, and respectively showing the outer and inner ends of the bearings. for the bail pivots.

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation similar to Fig. 2, but showing the position of the parts when-the bail hangs down.

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation, similar to Fig. 2, but showing a slight modification of the invention.

Figs. -8 and 9 are sectional elevations on lines 8---8 and 9-9 respectively, Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a sectional elevation, similar to Fig. 7, showing another modification embodying the invention. v

Fig. 11 is a sectional elevation on line H-J I, Fig. 10.

Describing first the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1-6 of the drawing, the lantern, with the exception of the construction of the pivotal connections for the bail, is of usual and well known tubular lantern construction. The frame or air tubes I2 at opposite sides of the lantern have inbent or inwardly extending upper ends I3 which are fixedly connected to the side walls of the air chamber shell H! at the top of the lantern frame, and inwardly extending or inbent lower ends l5, which are rigidly connected to the wall iii of the air chamber at the top of the oil fount and surrounding the lantern burner.

The wire handle or bail I! of the lantern straddles the upper end of the lantern frame, and the legs of the bail are provided with inbent pivot ends l8, each of which extends transversely through the adjacent air tube l2 through holes in the opposite or outer and inner wall portions of the tube. The bail pivots are prevented from disconnection from their pivot holes or bearings in the air tubes by suitable securing means at the inner ends of the pivots. For this purpose, the protruding inner ends of the pivots can be swaged, as shown at I9 in the drawing, bent upwardly, or provided with cotter pins or other suitable means which cannot pass through the pivot holes or bearings and thus prevent the pivots from being pulled out of their bearings or pivot holes.

In tubular lanterns as heretofore commonly made, the bent or hooked ends of the bail are simply hooked into plain or eyeletted pivot holes through the outer wall portions of the air tubes, and because of the form or construction of the air tubes'or the attachment of the inwardly extending ends of the tubes to other'frame parts of the lantern, it is impractical to form the ends of the hooks or pivots, which are located inside means for this purpose and, as before explained, V the bails therefore can and frequently do become disconnected from the lanterns in the use thereof.

By the described construction; however, in which the bail pivots extend completely through the air tubes, the inner ends of the pivots are exposed at the inner'sides of the tubes wherethey can be bent, swaged or otherwise formed or furnished with securing means which will prevent the pivots from being withdrawn" from the holes in the tubes. Furthermore, by this construction, eachpivot for the bail-extends through and is adapted 'to bear in widelyspaced-apart holes or bearings in or on the opposite or outer and inner wall portions of the air tube, and this greatly'reduces the wear on the edges of the pivot holes or bearings, so that they will not become worn and enlarged in use and increase the possibility, of the disconnection of the pivots from the tubes, as in the case of previous constructions, in which each bail pivot extends only through a hole in a single thin wall portion of the tube;

Preferably the pivot holes in the air tubes are strengthened and reinforced by bearing eyelets or bushings for the bail pivots. In the constructions shown, Withthe exception of that illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11, a long bearing eyelet or bushing is shown extending transversely through each air tube with the ends of the'bushing in the holes in the inner and outerwall portions of the tube, and being secured therein, as by flanging the ends of the bushing 20, over the edgesof the holes in the wall of the tube. These long bushings'not only provide extended bearings for the bail pivots but also connect the inner and outer wall portions of the air tubes and thus brace and strengthen the tubes at the pivotal connections for the bail.

In themodification shown in Figs. 10 and ll, separate eyelets 2| are secured in the holes'in the inner and outer wall portions of each airtube.

As clearly shown in the drawing, the axesof the bail pivots I8 are not coincident with the axes of the bearings for the pivots, but are disposed at an angle or inclination thereto. For instance, as shown in Fig. 2, the bail pivot bears against theinner and outer ends of the bushing 20 respectively above and below its axis. when the and the pressure of the pivot on the diagonally opposite portions of the bushingresulting from the strain incident to such deflection of the pivot acts to rele'asab ly or yieldingly hold the ball against movement from its standing and hanging positions. When, therefore, the bail is swung up tojits'standin'g position, for instance; it will re- Thus; when the bail is swung from one ,ends, or form internal end depressions 22 at the top and bottom of the bushing which taper inwardly longitudinally of the bushing. Figs. 4 to- 6 show the bushingthus deforrned at both its inner. and outer-ends, while Fig. 7 shows such deformation at the outer end only of the bushing.

Wi-th this deformation of the bushings, the pressure of pivots I8 in the depressions 22 will offer added resistance to the movement of bail, and

better act to releasably hold it upright than if the ends 101 parts of the bearings engaged by the pivots were circular.

The separate eyelets shown in Fig. 10 are similarly deformed to provide upper and lower depressions 23, which actin the same mannerto resist movement if the'bail from-its standing or hanging positions.

rcla'im asinvention: V V l: l t-lantern comprising :frain'e 'tubesla't opposite sides thereof, a carrying' bail for the lantern, and pivotal connections between the bail and lan tern frame comprising pivots projecting from the legsfof' the bail transverselyfthrough said side tubes, each tube having spaced bearings at its opposite side wall portions in which the pivot passing through said tube engages, said pivot and bearings being normally disposed with theiraxes somewhat out of alinement so that the pivot bears against one bearing above and the other bearby swinging the bailfrom one of its positions to another" and 'acts to releasably hold'the ball 1 said position.

2. A' lantern comprising frame tubes at oppositesides thereof, a carrying bailfor the lantern, and pivotal connections between the bail and lantern frame comprising a pivot bushing extending transversely through each tube from side't'oside thereof, pivots'projecting from the legs of the bail through said bushings, and means on the ends of the pivots which engage the adjacent ends of the bushings and prevent disengagement of thepivots from the bushings.

, 3. A lantern comprising frame tubes at opposite sides'thereo'f, a carrying bail for the lantern, and pivotal connections between the bail and lantern frame coin'prisihg'a pivot bushing extending transversely through each tube and secured at' its ends in holes in opposite sides of the tube, pivots projecting from'the legs of thebail through said bushings, and means ,on the ends of the pivots which engage the adjacent ends of the bushings and prevent disengagement of the pivots from thebushings.

.4. A la'ntern comprising frame tubes at opposite sides thereof, a carrying bail for the lantern, and pivotal connections betweenthe bail and lantern'ffam'e comprising apivot bushing extending transversely through each tube from side to side thereo'fl'pivots" projecting from-the legs of the bail through' said bushings, said pivots and bushings extending atangles to each other such that the pivots bear against opposite ends of the bushings respectively-above and below the axes of the bushings; whereby the pivots are strained by swingingthe bail to a standing position and act to releasably hold the bail standing.

5. A lantern comprising. frame tubes atop p osite sides'ther'eof, a carrying bail for the lantern,

' and pivotal connections between the bail and lantern frame comprising a pivot bushing extending transversely through each tube from side to side thereof, pivots projecting from the legs of V the bail through said bushings, said pivots and bushings extending at angles to each other such that the pivots bear against opposite ends of the bushings respectively above and below the axes of the bushings, whereby the pivots are strained by swinging the bail to a standing position and act to releasably hold the bail standing, the portion at one end of each bushing against which the related pivot bears being depressed to increase the releasable bail-holding action of the pivots.

6. A lantern comprising frame tubes at opposite sides thereof, a carrying bail for the lantern, and pivotal connections between the bail and lantern frame comprising a pivot bushing extending transversely through each tube from side to side thereof, pivots projecting from the legs of the bail through said bushings, said pivots and bushings extending at angles to each other such that the pivots bear against opposite ends of the bushings respectively above and below the axes of the bushings, whereby the pivots are strained by swinging the bail to a standing position and act to releasably hold the bail standing, the end portions of the bushings against which the pivots bear being depressed to increase the bail-holding action of the pivots.

7. A tubular lantern comprising a frame having air tubes at its opposite sides, a carrying bail for the lantern, and pivotal connections between.

the bail and lantern frame comprising pivots projecting from the bail legs transversely through said air tubes through holes in the opposite sides of each tube, bearing eyelets in said holes, one eyelet of each tube having a depression in which the related pivot is pressed by the spring action of the bailto releasably hold the bail in one of its positions;

ROBERT A. CURRIE. 

